Custom 2001 Ford F-150 - Killer Lines

24 Inches Stuffed Into a Smooth Body

Cool ideas are easy to come by; making them work is a totally different issue. Ideas like "Yeah, man, I'm going to build a 1,200hp 22R for my Toyota that gets 38 miles to the gallon" are more than improbable and down-right stupid. However, a vehicle altered to include design elements that take it to a new look is custom cool. When these cool ideas can be executed where the design change is seamless, a new trend is created. You have to be extremely talented to be able to take an idea, think through the logistics of getting the job done, and execute the idea to form a seamless work of art.

Smoothing off accessories to bring simplicity to a truck's body lines is one of the "cool ideas" that has become a classic design element in the custom scene. There are six different components that make up the outside of a truck bed, alone. Smoothing off these panels and molding them into one component takes a lot of work and patience. Joey Booth, owner of this '01 F-150, knows all too well about this workload. Shane Parton from Shane's Paint and Body spent 100 hours on the Blue Oval, getting it smooth.

Some other design elements required a tremendous amount of work to get this truck's image right. Getting the truck to lay tin over 22s up front and 24s out back required a 4-3/4-inch body drop and a notch in both front and rear sections of the frame. This provided enough height to accommodate a high axle center with the taller rolling stock. Talk about tucking rim hard!

Another affliction to overcome was the fitment of some suicide door components. Making them work right meant installing them twice and modifying them once. The first time the doors were fitted with the ass-backward hinges, the doors were damn-near impossible to open. So, Shane refitted the doors with a little fabrication love and got them to work properly.

The final problem was the 4-3/4-inch body drop prevented the use of the stock brake master cylinder. With no one to turn to for the brake fitment answer, the research started. A couple weeks of hunting turned up a '95 Ranger power brake booster that fit the bill. As you can see, building a sick custom takes more than "I'm gonna," but it takes vision, patience, work, and know-how-unless, of course, you're rich.